108 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



During May and June the eggs of this insect are laid 

 on the two common Nettles (Urtica dioica and U. urens), 

 and hatch in about a fortnight, the earlier larvae being 

 full-fed in June. After a week or two as pupae the 

 imagines appear, and are found on the wing during late 

 summer and early autumn. They then hibernate, re- 

 appearing at the return of spring. As a matter of fact, 

 it would be difficult to name a period during the butterfly- 

 season when urticcz cannot be found. 



The larva (Fig. 109), about i^in. in length, is, like all 

 its relatives, spine-bearing. The spines, which are short 

 and of a brownish colour, with black branches, are dis- 

 posed four on the third and fourth segments, seven on 

 segments five to twelve, and four on the thirteenth. 

 Black is the ground-colour of the dorsal surface, which 

 is thickly studded with small yellow dots, sometimes 

 forming a medio-dorsal yellow stripe, along the centre 

 of which runs a fine black line. Yellowish-brown 

 is the colour predominating on the rest of the body, 

 which carries two lateral yellow stripes, one above 

 and the other below the spiracles. These are black 

 set in a yellow ring. The head and legs are shining 

 black, and the whole of the larva is downy. Consider- 

 able variation is shown in the colouring of individual 

 specimens. 



The pupa (Fig. 108) is some fin. long, the head is 

 eared, the thorax rises to a sharp-pointed projection and 

 is keeled laterally, the abdomen is arched and bears two 

 subdorsal lines of sharp spines, while the mid-dorsal line 

 has slight indications of the mid-dorsal spines on the 

 larva. The ground-colour is yellowish-brown thickly 

 sprinkled with darker brown. Many specimens are very 

 much gilt, especially on those points which are 

 prominent. It has lately been noticed that the colour 



